Let’s start your day off with a smile this morning …
In fact, if this doesn’t have you smiling and laughing all day long every time you think of it (and who among us doesn’t deserve THAT!!!), then something’s gotta be wrong with you.
Frannie found this and sent it to me … and I call it “The Beach Boys on an Off Night” …
Although I’ve gotta say, Dennis sure seems to be having a great time! (kk)
After serving two years of a three to ten year sentence, Bill Cosby walked out of prison a free man on Wednesday after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his conviction for sexual assault … this after allegations from more than sixty women who said the actor/comedian drugged them and then sexually assaulted them. All charges have since been dropped. (Guess that means that Me-TV-FM can star playing Cosby’s 1967 hit “Little Ole Man” again!!!)
[INSIDE JOKE TO RICK O’DELL]
(Can you believe that this was a Top Five Hit?!?!?) kk
>>>Steve Van Zandt -- who inducted The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, then brought them back together for a benefit in 2010, a short tour in 2012 and a Broadway residency in 2013 -- was asked on Twitter where things stood in his lawsuit to prevent singer and keyboardist Felix Cavaliere from owning the trademark. He says, “I am in court right now preventing Felix from trying to steal the Rascals trademark and [screw] his three brothers. He will never win. He is a scumbag. The whole world should boycott the lowlife.”
>>>Yowzah! I wasn’t even aware that there was a lawsuit going on over this. Anybody able to shed some light on any of this? I’m confused … and VERY sorry to hear that this has become a conflict. (Not too long ago we talked here about how cool it would be to get The Rascals back together AGAIN by getting PBS to air their Once Upon A Dream live concert video presentation … guess THAT ain’t gonna happen!!!) kk
hi kent,
this situation is so sad ... i have been aware of the court battle going on and i do hope there will be some resolve soon ... i am torn, as stevie is a good friend and he put his heart and soul into the rascals project ... i have been friends with gene for so many years and i know felix as well ...
carol ross
I have every belief that Stevie went into this with the very best of intentions … he LOVED The Rascals’ music growing up and it was part of what made him a musician in the first place. (He also sunk a ton of time and money into that project.) It’s a real shame to think that they’re now fighting over something like this when Felix has been out performing with HIS version of The Rascals for years. (I’d still love to see the Broadway Show issued on DVD or thru PBS so that all the fans who DIDN’T get the chance to see it when the tour was cut short could finally enjoy the fine, fine job they all did putting this thing together. And who knows … maybe if the four individual Rascals themselves took a minute to watch this show again, they just might be inspired to give it another go! (kk)
And, speaking of Little Steven, how cool is this?!?!
After topping the British Charts with his version of Michael Nesmith’s “Different Drum” from his new album “Dolenz Sings Nesmith,” no less an authority than Little Steven has declared (on his Sirius/XM radio program, Underground Garage) Micky’s completely reimagined version of “Circle Sky” (from the same album) as “The Coolest Song Of The Week.”
(And it is about as revamped as a song can get! One of The Monkees’ hardest rocking tracks, originally included in their film “Head” back in 1968 has been a concert staple for years … but Michael’s son Christian, who produced the new LP, has given it a whole new tone.)
When told about the Underground Garage honor, Micky said:
I’m thrilled for sure. The producer, Christian Nesmith, presented me with this idea and it just took off from there. I’m quite proud of it.
(Not a bad month for this hot, new, 76 year old teen sensation, right???) kk
(Don'tcha just love that whole '60's / Indian vibe???) kk
Several years ago, one of our readers wrote in to say that he had decided to “put the band back together” just for pure fun on the weekends … a chance to play some of the old tunes and share his love of the music … and, in doing so, he came up with what I believe to be one of the BEST oldies group names EVER for a bunch of old guys just getting together for the FUN of playing music. They called themselves “Mid-Life Crisis” … and I thought that was a GREAT name.
This week one of my coworkers told me that he was really excited about the way things were going HIS new band, 999,999 Megabytes … but they never got a Gig!!! (kk)
Who???
With Elton John in the news for his latest tour, and the Wilson family appearing on the Kelly Clarkson show, I noticed that many sites -- but, for example, not Wikipedia -- list a Czech man, Vladimír Čort (tchort), as a co-writer of "Daniel," which Wilson Phillips famously covered.
Are the people behind these sites relying on someone's urban legend, or is Mr Čort legitimately entitled to royalties here?
Bob Frable
Vladimír Čort evidently translates and records Czech Republic versions of English pop songs … how he takes a songwriting credit for this (you’ll notice that in addition to “Daniel,” he also “wrote” the hits “Hey Jude,” “Unchained Melody,” “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy” and “Sugar, Sugar” … perhaps you’ve heard of a few of these???)
And he actually DOES have a Wikipedia page (if you look long and hard enough for it … and translate it to English!)
How he gets away with any of this is beyond me! (I’d be VERY surprised if he earned any songwriting royalties for these … perhaps some record sales royalties if any of these versions were hits over there … but nearly everything shown on the web about him is published in a foreign language.
You can listen to some examples of his translations here …
https://secondhandsongs.com/work/116539
But I’ll have to admit … this is a new one on me!!! (kk)
LOVE MARK LINDSAY!
David Salidor
We got to see Mark and Micky at their 50 Summers Of Love show a few years back … a GREAT show … and SO many hits between them. (kk)
Hi Kent,
Just wanted to mention, that is Hal Blaine on drums on the Raiders' version of "Indian Reservation."
Mark Lindsay is one of the most under-rated singers in rock music. Great voice, from singing the high-energy Raider's catalog to his highly-produced solo work, Mark Lindsay was and is an extraordinary talent.
On a footnote, that's really excellent you and Forgotten Hits are promoting the well-deserved recognition of Radio icon Dick Biondi. That's great Forgotten Hits always tries to make sure the legendary music and people are not forgotten!
Take Care,
Tim Kiley
Mark’s a super nice guy, too. Sad to see that he dropped out of this year’s Happy Together Tour but your health HAS to come first. Still hoping he might make an isolated appearance now and again so his fans can see him … he still has a lot to offer in the way of top notch entertainment. (kk)
In your recent profile of Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere and the Raiders, you posted:
>>>The
band got its big break when Dick Clark picked them to host his new after school
rock and roll show "Where The Action Is." (kk)
I thought they hosted “Happening ‘68”/ “It’s Happening”. For Where the Action Is, Dick Clark just voiced over the introductions. Although the Raiders were on the show a ton, I don’t believe they were ever the hosts.
Mike Hartman
I think we’re talking semantics here …
Paul Revere and the Raiders were “the house band” on “Where The Action Is,” assuming “hosting duties” (in my opinion) by introducing many of the acts and taking part in all of the major skits presented on the show. (And yes, they did go on to host the follow-up series “Happening ‘68” and “It’s Happening.”)
I guess I always just considered them to be the hosts (and featured performers) on “Where The Action Is.” (I mean, they were on every week … what else would that make them if not the hosts???)
But your query made me look at a couple of other sources to see how THEY described The Raiders’ role on the series and this is what I came up with:
Wikipedia says “The show was
hosted by Linda Scott and Steve Alaimo, who sang numbers between guest
appearances.” It also mentions the Dick
Clark voiceovers that you mentioned. As
for Paul Revere and the Raiders, Wiki says they served as “de-facto house band.”
IMDB calls Dick Clark the “host” and Linda Scott, Steve Alaimo and Paul Revere
and the Raiders “regulars.”
Me-TV-FM says that while Clark created the program, “he would not host the show, handing the mic to Steve Alaimo” instead.
“Total Television” by Alex McNeil calls Dick Clark the host and Scott, Alaimo and The Raiders “regulars”), as does Vincent Terrace’s “Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947 – 1979.
So, I stand corrected … they were REGULARS and not hosts. (kk)
Lots of talk this past week about the Olivia Rodrigo song “Brutal” sounding a bit too much like Elvis Costello’s 1978 track “Pump It Up.”
Olivia made quite a splash when her first single, “Drivers License,” topped The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart for eight weeks these past couple of months. “Brutal” kicks off her first album, “Sour.”
While the industry is spending their time trying to stir up the controversy, Elvis Costello himself has gone on record as stating that he’s ok with it … “It’s how rock and roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy. That’s what I did,” stating that it was Bob Dylan’s hit “Subterranean Homesick Blues” that inspired “Pump It Up” and Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business,” which Dylan has said inspired his hit. (When you listen to all four tracks back-to-back in that context, it becomes blatantly obvious that rock and roll is better than 50% inspiration. (It’s probably, as they say, 40% perspiration … and another 10% of just pure luck!) Kudos once again to Mr. Berry who, thanks to his work, begat The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and scores of countless others … and to Elvis Costello for stepping up to the plate and declaring it so and calling it like it is. (kk)
You can watch all four clips here and see just how similar they really are … as well as completely unique in their own way:
I am not a fan of Chicago and I've seen them in concert. They're right up there with the other Sacred Cow in music. But I am not here to put them down … rather I'm giving to credit and praise where it is due.
They played in Charlotte, NC, on 29th at the PNC arena, their first concert in over 600 days. It did not go well.
Doors were to open at 6 pm … they didn't.
There was some power outage and most of the fans who were outside waiting had no clue as to what was going on.
Finally at a little before nine, it was straightened out and Chicago took the stage. To their credit, they played their standard 30 song set in its entirety, without eliminating any songs, nor abbreviating any. Good for them.
Some fans paid up to $2000 a ticket. For that kind of money, they better play in my backyard. At least they got their money's worth.
However, a lot of fans left early. Still., it wasn't the band's fault.
Jack
Hadn’t heard about this, so thanks for sharing. With 50+ plus years under their belts and three original members still onboard, I’m guessing the band has seen just about all there is to see in the way of concert glitches when putting on a live show. Too bad … but it happens. (We’ve been at a few of these, including one that started two hours late due to technical difficulties.) As you said, at least the fans who stuck around didn’t get short-changed.
Speaking of Chicago, one of our VERY favorite local groups, The Chicago Experience, is playing at The Arcada Theatre NEXT SATURDAY NIGHT (July 10th) and I cannot recommend them highly enough. (To my ears, and I’ve said this before, their level of youthful enthusiasm and musical expertise allows them to put on as good as … and in some cases, an even better than … concert experience than the real thing.
Tickets are cheap (only $15 each including the $2 service charge!) and they’re going to go fast … so if you want to get back out there again and hear some live music … and some damn good music at that … why not come out to the newly revamped Arcada Theatre (it’s their Welcome Back Weekend) next Saturday Night and have a good time. (By the way, Peter Noone will be there on Sunday, the 11th!) kk
Harvey Kubernik interviews Jackson Browne here: https://www.musicconnection.com/qa-with-jackson-browne/
Kent,
Paul Evans mentioned the Modernaires in his email to you today. That is one group I had completely forgotten about.
I remember as a small kid sitting on the floor of our living room and watching them on The Bob Crosby Show. It was on around 2:30 in the afternoon as I recall. I could be wrong about that. I also could be wrong about them being on The Bob Crosby Show. I seem to remember Crosby introducing them with female vocalist Paula Kelly.
Eddie Kelly’s remembrances of American Bandstand triggered this in my mind. How many of the "regulars" on AB made a record? I don't remember too many of them making a record. I have one by Bob & Justine called DRIVE-IN MOVIE / DREAM GIRL
Larry
The Mystery Doo-Wop Song Challenge Continues …
>>>This could be an original song by a group just fascinated with the whole doo-wop sound and trying to create it as authentically as possible. [We ran a clip on the website on Monday, June 28th] Does THIS help anybody identify the song and/or artist??? (kk )
If Wild Wayne Can't Identify it with the music library he
has at the station---
I think its pretty obscure.
Frank B.
Nobody’s figured it out yet! But scroll back to Monday’s post to listen to it again if you wanna give it a shot! (kk)
COMING UP:
Watch for brand new postings on July 3rd, July 4th, July 5th and July 6th …
Enjoy your long holiday
weekend … and stop back often! (kk)
